Blu-ray Movie Reviews

Arnold Schwarzenegger wages an all-out war against an unseen enemy, a force more powerful and deadly than any on Earth-because the "Predator" is not of this Earth.

One of the classic sci-fi horror/action films of our time, Predator returns to the Blu-ray format once again just in time for the upcoming new addition to the series, Predators. Rather than a simple port over of the existing disc with some new trailers and packaging this new edition features a completely new video transfer that will no doubt stir up a hornet’s nest of controversy. You also get a sneak at the new film.

Fox made some serious waves in the enthusiast forums with its controversial release of Patton on Blu-ray. While some felt it looked better than ever, many noticed the distinct lack of fine object detail due to the filtering that was applied to the master. I think the same will ring true here. Let’s be frank, Predator has never really looked that good on any format. It is an excessively grainy film that is soft, a bit too dark and not what one would use to show off their home theater. The new transfer has obviously been put through the grain ringer, but the results vary considerably from scene to scene. Some of the scrubbing has left the actors looking very plastic with no fine detail and an unnaturally smeary look. In the jungle the scrubbing has actually improved a lot of what was there before and manages to bring out some dimension to the image that frankly wasn’t there before. Some scenes even have some nice fine object detail and definitely more punchy and color than what we’ve seen before. But there are also a lot of scenes that look far too processed for the videophile and will no doubt be met with cries of foul play. Hope Fox is ready! The audio side is pretty much identical to what we saw before with nice dynamics (though limited by its age) and a convincing surround soundtrack that lends a lot to the atmosphere of the film.

Extras are pretty much the same as before and feature some behind the scenes look at the creation of this classic and its popularity. You also get some commentaries and deleted scenes. A trailer for the new film is also included along with interviews.

This is going to be a title that will divide fans tremendously. Personally there are times that I LOVE the new transfer and what it has done for this great film. But there is no denying that a heavy hand was involved at times and makes this one look like plastic city. You’ve been warned!